By Pam McClounie

Last updated at 13:33, Thursday, 21 February 2013

A 1,500-strong petition calling for the detrunking of the A69 at Warwick Bridge has been handed over.

Traffic on the A69 road

Carlisle MP John Stevenson was given the petition yesterday and, accompanied by the MP for Penrith and the Border, Rory Stewart, they will present it to Parliament.

Campaigners say the volume of heavy traffic, which cuts through the villages of Warwick Bridge and Corby Hill, is a great risk to pedestrians.

The busy road which runs between Carlisle and Newcastle has been the subject of detrunking calls for more than 40 years.

Nicholas Marriner, Wetheral Conservative county councillor said: “John Stevenson will now present the petition in Parliament and I am going to see what the county council can do about it.

“We collected just under 1,600 signatures which is a very good response and I am very pleased about that.

“Responses came from villagers in Hayton, Warwick-on-Eden, Warwick Bridge, Scotby and Wetheral.”

One resident previously raised concerns with Mr Stewart, saying that any gains for residents living along the A69 could well be at the expense of those on the A689.

Mr Marriner said: “The A69 is the only major trunk road linking the north east with the north west and Scotland.

“It is also the only one that goes through small villages.

“The bridge at Warwick Bridge, for instance, was built in the 1850s for horses and carriages. It now carries all kinds of vehicles and has two extremely bad bends on it, and two small roads coming in off the bridge,” he said.

“We are proposing that the trunk road is the A689 between Carlisle and Brampton.

“All of the villages there have been bypassed and it is a straight road which links in with the new Carlisle Northern Development Route and the airport.

“It makes complete sense to make that road the trunk road.

“It makes complete sense to move the trunk road to the other side of the river and it’s high time it was done,” added Mr Marriner.

“We will continue to campaign until something happens. The road at the moment is in a disgraceful state.”

First published at 13:32, Thursday, 21 February 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk